Reading guide
The vagga's own closing colophon and uddāna, confirmed exactly
Confirmed by direct reading, this discourse's own closing colophon — “Jarāvaggo pañcamo” (“Jarāvagga, the fifth [vagga of this saṃyutta], is finished”) — and its own uddāna verse account for all ten discourses this project has translated: “Pubbārāme ca cattāri” (“and four at the Eastern Monastery”) explicitly confirms SN 48.45-48 as a group of four, exactly matching this project's own tracked sequence of the whole vagga.
A circular chain: faith leading to faith, deepened
Confirmed by direct reading, Sāriputta's own answer traces each faculty entailing the next: a faithful disciple can be expected to become energetic (the energy faculty), then mindful (the mindfulness faculty), then immersed (the immersion faculty), then to directly understand with wisdom (the wisdom faculty) — and this same disciple, having tried, recollected, immersed, and understood “again and again,” becomes CONFIDENT that what was once only heard is now directly experienced, and THIS confidence is itself named the faculty of faith — not abandoning faith for wisdom, but showing wisdom as faith's own natural fruition.
Wisdom's own content: saṃsāra's beginninglessness, nibbāna's peace
Confirmed by direct reading, the wisdom this discourse describes is specific and profound: understanding that “transmigration has no known beginning,” with no first point found for beings roaming shrouded by ignorance and fettered by craving — and that the fading and ceasing of that ignorance, with no residue, is peaceful and sublime: “the stilling of all activities, the letting go of all attachments, the ending of craving, fading away, cessation, extinguishment.”
Key terms
The text
§1-2 — the Buddha's own question and Sāriputta's own opening on energySo I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying in the land of the Aṅgas, near the Aṅgan town named Āpaṇa. Then the Buddha said to Venerable Sāriputta: “Sāriputta, would a noble disciple who is sure and devoted to the Realized One have any doubt or uncertainty about the Realized One or his instructions?” “Sir, a noble disciple who is sure and devoted to the Realized One would have no doubt or uncertainty about the Realized One or his instructions. You can expect that a faithful noble disciple will live with energy roused up for giving up unskillful qualities and embracing skillful qualities. They’re strong, staunchly vigorous, not slacking off when it comes to developing skillful qualities. For their energy is the faculty of energy.
§3-4 — mindfulness and immersionYou can expect that a faithful and energetic noble disciple will be mindful, with utmost mindfulness and alertness, able to remember and recall what was said and done long ago. For their mindfulness is the faculty of mindfulness. You can expect that a faithful, energetic, and mindful noble disciple will, relying on letting go, gain immersion, gain unification of mind. For their samādhi is the faculty of immersion.
§5-6 — wisdom's own insight, and faith deepenedYou can expect that a faithful, energetic, mindful noble disciple with their mind immersed in samādhi will understand this: ‘Transmigration has no known beginning. No first point is found of sentient beings roaming and transmigrating, shrouded by ignorance and fettered by craving. But when that dark mass of ignorance fades away and ceases with no residue left behind, that state is peaceful and sublime. That is, the stilling of all activities, the letting go of all attachments, the ending of craving, fading away, cessation, extinguishment.’ For their noble wisdom is the faculty of wisdom. When a noble disciple has tried again and again, recollected again and again, entered immersion again and again, and understood with wisdom again and again, they will be confident of this: ‘I have previously heard of these things. But now I have direct meditative experience of them, and see them with penetrating wisdom.’ For their faith is the faculty of faith.”
§7 — the Buddha's own approval, repeating the answer word for word“Good, good, Sāriputta! Sāriputta, a noble disciple who is sure and devoted to the Realized One would have no doubt or uncertainty about the Realized One or his instructions. …” The Buddha then repeated Sāriputta’s answer word for word.
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